An accountant's pen could sever the Golden Thread that binds our servicemen together

The proposal to scrap the historic regimental names betrays a pledge made just
a few years ago

In the aftermath of his local election drubbing, last week, David Cameron told this newspaper that his government had to stop looking like "a bunch of accountants" in its obsession with figures.

What a pity, then, that he didn't bother to tell Philip Hammond, his Defence Secretary. Yesterday in an interview, again with this newspaper, Mr Hammond's tone was – as Nye Bevan might have said – that of a desiccated calculating machine, almost, in his approach to forthcoming cuts in the Army and especially those that are liable to fall on Scotland's historic regiments.

" As a businessman, I'm interested in productivity," he said, adding that he wanted the Armed Forces to do their job "in the most resource efficient way possible".

For the life of me, and having known the man very well, I cannot imagine the late George Younger, another Tory Defence Secretary, speaking in such terms.

Admittedly, George had been a soldier and the world was a different place then. But, still, the present incumbent's attitude does seem light years away from that of his illustrious predecessor.

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But it was the way he airily dismissed the long-standing geographical connections of Scotland's infantry regiments that caused most outrage north of the Border yesterday.

In presaging the abolition of the ancient names of the likes of The Black Watch, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, The Royal Highland Fusiliers and The Highlanders – which is to take place at the same time as at least one of the above is axed – the minister said: "The ancient cap badges have largely gone …"

And gone they will be if Mr Hammond gets his way, possibly as early as 2014, because he reckons that it is no longer the case "that all Army units , as they once did, have strong geographical recruitment ties".

This assertion, too, will cause disquiet amongst the "Old and the Bold", those former regimental officers, non-commissioned officers and other ranks, who are sometimes looked upon a bit sniffily by the modernisers in the MoD as well as in the Army itself, but who are in the forefront of the campaign to save both the existing battalions and their ancient names.

They failed in 2005 when The Royal Scots and The King's Own Scottish Borderers were amalgamated to form the 1st Bn of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, with The Royal Highland Fusiliers designated as 2 Scots, The Black Watch as 3 Scots, The Highlanders as 4 Scots and The Argylls as 5 Scots.

Mr Hammond's intention to scrap one of the Scottish battalions is bad enough, but to abolish all of the historic regimental names is a direct betrayal of promises given at the time of that last major change.

Then, Scotland's political leaders and voters were assured that the "Golden Thread" of regimental pride and geographical association would be maintained through the retention of the cap badges.

That can't be done if those famous names are scrapped. Mr Hammond should think again.